


Tales from Relicta: Old Wounds

by Zinzabee



Series: Tales from Relicta [1]
Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Dragons, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2020-10-21 09:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20691545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinzabee/pseuds/Zinzabee
Summary: Aelwen and Ilyana had once been childhood friends, roaming the wilds together as orphans searching for a place to call their own. Now, years later, Aelwen is the renowned leader of the Relicta, with a family and a clan who love and need her. Unfortunately, Ilyana has not been so lucky, and has grown to hate and resent her for achieving a dream they once shared. Aelwen had spent years trying to reconcile their lost friendship, but the ridgeback’s bitterness and hate seemed too strong. So when Ilyana jumps to Aelwen’s defense and saves her from certain death, mortally wounding herself in the process, it seems there may still be hope for them yet. Can the two dragons finally make peace before it’s too late?





	1. A Turn of Events

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a link to my Flight Rising Lair, where the dragons featured in this story can be found: http://www1.flightrising.com/lair/162345

In the ruins of the Hewn City, not too far from the shoreline, a medium sized clan of dragons had built a lair. It was dug deep into the ground, with openings all over. Some near the beach, others within the ruins or forest surround it. A vast network of tunnels and caves had been carefully carved out for the residence, and for guests passing through.

You see, this was the Relicta Clan, founded not long ago by a tundra named Brondal, and a guardian name Ravaonna. They had rescued a group of orphan hatchlings, and decided to care for them. As the clan grew in size, and more and more dragons came from all over the continent seeking refugee, its was declared that this clan would be open to any any all dragons who needed a place to stay. Whether that be for a few days, months, or forever. No matter the reason, so long as it wasn’t morally wrong, anyone was welcome.

This particular story will start on a rather tragic day. Llvai, one of the clan leaders, was out with some of the younger dragons for some combat training. The guardian was large and intimidating, born of the Ashfall Waste. Her flame orange eyes were hard and intense as she watched the group practice the moves she had taught them.

There were about seven or eight of them, of all different breeds and colors. From higher up on the hill, they were being watched by another dragon. A dark colored skydancer with a pet gloomwillow perched on her shoulder. Her name was Aelwen, and she watched with great amusement as one of the young ones talked back to Llvai’s shouting.

She was a clan leader as well, the official top leader, to be specific. She had her wife, Nylah, and Llvai appointed as clan leaders, too, but they were just to help her take care of things. She pulled out her to do list from her pocket and made some notes, while Llvai shouted more orders like a drill instructor. Combat training for the day seemed to be going smoothly, so she checked it off her list.

“For as powerful as you are, it’s terribly pathetic that you don’t train them yourself.” a voice nastily remarked behind her. Aelwen’s happy mood instantly deflated. She took a deep breath before turning around to look at Ilyana.

The ridgeback casually sat nearby under a pine tree, giving her a judgemental look with her ice blue eyes underneath the birdskull mask she wore. She was much bigger than Aelwen, and wore an ugly skin she’d gotten from the Wastelands, covered in bones and boils. Many mistook her for a plagueborn at first glance, but she was originally from the Southern Icefields, just like Aelwen.

“Llvai is a good teacher and honorable warrior. I do not mind giving her a job I know she’s capable of doing.” the skydancer said smoothly. She was not in the mood to start a fight with Ilyana today. There was too much to do.

The ridgeback spit to the sit before growling slightly at her. “If I was the leader, I’d be able to do everything myself, not dump my responsibilities on other dragons.”

And here it was again. Aelwen grit her teeth and got up to leave. If she had to hear Ilyana complain and snap about how she should be in charge instead of her, she might actually want to fight her. Which was fine, really, because Ilyana always lost whenever she challeged her, but it was so annoying because she did it practically every day for as long as she could remember. Why couldn’t the stubborn dragon get it through her head?

“Don’t walk away from me you coward!” Ilyana shouted, rising to her feet, “You know I’m right! The only reason you’re still in charge is because you cheat and use ice magic!”

She started to follow a few feet behind Aelwen, continuing to pester her. “If we fought for real, with tooth and claw, I would run you into the ground. You can’t even fight in the Coliseum by yourself, without a real dragon like Nylah or Llvai there to help you.”

Aelwen closed her eyes tight, trying to restrain herself and not turn around. She didn’t want to give Ilyana the pleasure of knowing that she got to her. She was not going to stoop to her level, no matter what.

“AELWEN!” Ilyana roared.

The next moment was a blur. She felt the ridgeback slam into her, heard the gloomwillow shriek, felt the ground beneath her as she tumbled down the hill. Her world was spinning, and she flailed her wings and body to try and steady it but that only made the falling worse on her body. She finally landed at the bottom of the hill and groaned.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!” Llvai’s thunderous voice cracked through the air. Aelwen shook herself and tried to get up. The sound of horrible shrieking filled the sky, and arrows began to rain down. The younger dragons cried out in fear, and more from the clan were emerging out of the surrounding entrances.

Harpies.

A whole flock of them had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and were attacking them. Aelwen had no time to process anything. She leapt to her feet and was switched to instant fight mode. “Rose!” she called to the oldest of the hatchlings, “Take the others down into the safe room. Llvai, sound the alarm, I want dragons at every entrance, now!” 

_________

Several years earlier, near the very spot where this battle was about to take place, a tiny ridgeback scrambled on top of a large stone formation. “This way!” she cried with her chest out. She flared her speckled wings and leapt off the giant, crumbling pillar to glide towards the ground in front of the others.

A group of small dragons followed diligently behind her as they wandered in the Sunbeam Ruins. There were at least a dozen of them who had all banded together, lost or abandoned in the wilds with no clan to turn to. They were a strange variety of all different breeds and elements, too. But the ones at the front of the group were the eldest ones, barely a year old.

The ridgeback was a younger, more wide eyed Ilyana, with charcoal tiger stripes, ivory freckled wings, and a bright blue aqua colored underbelly.

She landed on the ground and rushed forward towards the stream at the bottom of the hill, before jumping in with a huge splash. Directly behind her was a small brown wildclaw, who flared her eyespot wings open to block the water from splashing her and a few of the others behind her. Her eyes were dark green, and her name was Nylah.

“Watch it, Ily! Not all of us want to get wet.” she huffed. But Ilyana wasn’t listening. She was happily jumping about in the shallow water gleefully.

“I found us water! I told you I could do it! Haha!” she cheered, whipping her long, thin tail to splash some of the others who’d joined her in the stream. “I’m the greatest leader ever.”

“Wow, you actually did something useful for once instead of running around and bragging about how wonderful you are. Will miracles never cease?” a young male skydancer crooned. He had black fur and red plumages, with crimson eyespot wings and deep red eyes, marking him from the Scarred Wasteland.

Ilyana hissed at him and jumped to splash water in his direction, completely soaking him. Some of the other hatchlings laughed as the two started to tumble.

One of the last ones to come down the hill was a small female skydancer with dark fur and purple/shadowy plumage and wings. She was very plain looking, with no significant genes or markings, though the bright pale blue of her eyes did stand out against her dark coloring. She was herding two of the youngest hatchlings down to the stream, he wings cradled out around them in case they tripped. When they finally made it down, Aelwen frowned at Ilyana and Ezekial playfully tackling each other.

“Ily, please be careful with your claws,” she called.

But it was too late. In the excitement, the ridgeback lashed a little too strongly down on Ezekial, cutting across his shoulder and down his chest. The skydancer screeched in pain, but Ilyana did not let up. In a flash, Aelwen leaped up and flared her wings, kicking the ridgeback off him with her hind legs.

Ilyana rolled back and scrambled to face Aelwen, still thinking it was a game. As soon as she saw the black skydancer’s expression, however, she knew she was wrong. Nylah and some of the other hatchlings were helping Ezekial back to his feet, though he was grimacing in pain. Ily could now see the bright red of his blood through the short fur.

“I...I didn’t mean to do that,” she stuttered, “He shouldn’t have insulted me like that. I was just messing around.”

“You know you’re the strongest among us. You need to understand the responsibilities that come with that.” Aelwen hissed.

“I know all about responsibility,” the ridgeback rolled her eyes, “I’m the leader, remember?”

“All the more reason for you to be careful and apologize to Ezekial.” her pale eyes pierced through her. Ilyana was proud and headstrong. She didn’t want to admit her fault, but something in the way this little skydancer glared at her and spoke to her made her hesitate to walk away with her nose up. She looked back over to Ezekial, who was soaking his wound in the stream.

She huffed and flicked her tail, turning away from him. “Whatever. I’m sorry you can’t handle a small scuffle with me, but you should be more careful about what comes out of your mouth.”

The red and black dragon narrowed his eyes at her, but said nothing. Nylah and Aelwen glanced at each other, knowing that was the best they were going to get out of her.

“I’m going to go find us some dinner. Aelwen is in charge until I get back. Gorgyr, Nuul, you’re with me. Let’s go.” Ilyana barked.

As the three of them left, Ezekial spat in her direction. “Some leader, indeed. Did we even get a say in that? Cause I don’t remember voting for her.”

Aelwen sighed. “She wants to start a clan of her own, you know that. And where else are we going to go? It’s not like anyone wants us.” She sat on the edge of the stream and looked down at her reflection. Her plain features and dark colors weren’t the most appealing to any of the clans they’d visited.

“Oh please,” Nylah stepped into the water to wash herself up as she spoke, “You’re the one who’s been running this group from day one. You just let Ilyana walk all over everything and everyone for some reason.”

Aelwen’s feathers flared in embarrassment. “Me? I...No, I just help her out here and there. I don’t want to be in charge.”

“But you’re always telling Ilyana about the importance of responsibility and taking care of everyone,” Ezekial point out, “You actually care about us, she just cares about the idea of being in charge.”

They were all quiet for a few minutes. The iceborn skydancer gazed down into the rippling water at herself, suddenly thinking everything over. She had never thought of herself in a leadership position before. She was comfortable just being part of the group, and feeling like a family to each other. Every one of them had their own story, and she knew those stories. It was why she and Ilyana had been talking about starting a clan in the first place. But more they’d discussed it, before and now, the more she was realizing that Ilyana might not be the best fit for leading a clan. But her? That was ridiculous. Wasn’t it?

__________

Back in the present, the battle was over, and Aelwen and the other dragons had managed to drive the harpies away from Relicta. Many in the clan had been injured, but nothing too serious. Some of the doctors and nurses came out to help the more badly wounded back to the infirmary.

“That was one serious ambush,” Llvai commented, walking up next to their leader. “I’m going to have to increase security for a while, maybe get some of our guests to help out.”

“Only if they volunteer,” Aelwen said, brushing herself off. “I don’t want any of the non-permanent residence to be forced into -”

“Aelwen! Llvai!” a voice called. They glanced up and saw Nylah, the wildclaw waving at them from the top of the hill. “Quickly!”

The two flapped up to the top of the hill and Aelwen almost crashed to the ground at what she saw. She had forgotten all about Ilyana in the height of her panic for her clan, but now she was faced with what had happened to her.

The harpies must have known that Aelwen was the leader. They had been watching and waiting for her, and had meant to strike her down before attacking the clan, but…

...but Ilyana had jumped in front of her. And now she lay in the soft grass, completely motionless, with a giant harpoon sticking out of her side. Beneath her, a puddle of blood was slowly peeking through the green.

Aelwen’s legs trembled, and Nylah quickly caught her in her arms. She said something to her, but the skydancer didn’t hear it. Llvai turned and called down the hill, but it sounded muffled and far away, even though she was right next to them. Her brain wasn't processing what her eyes were seeing, or maybe they were and she was just in shock.

_It should have been me. It should have been me. She sacrificed herself for me. But why? Why? After all these years of bitterness and hate, why would she do this? Why would she protect me? This can’t be happening. This has to be a bad dream._


	2. Things Fall Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aelwen and Ilyana had once been childhood friends, roaming the wilds together as orphans searching for a place to call their own. Now, years later, Aelwen is the renowned leader of the Relicta, with a family and a clan who love and need her. Unfortunately, Ilyana has not been so lucky, and has grown to hate and resent her for achieving a dream they once shared. Aelwen had spent years trying to reconcile their lost friendship, but the ridgeback’s bitterness and hate seemed too strong. So when Ilyana jumps to Aelwen’s defense and saves her from certain death, mortally wounding herself in the process, it seems there may still be hope for them yet. Can the two dragons finally make peace before it’s too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a link to my Flight Rising Lair where the dragons that are featured in this story are: http://www1.flightrising.com/lair/162345

“You can’t be serious!” Ilyana screeched. She gazed at them through her birdskull mask with piercing pale blue eyes. She was an adolescent, facing others adolescents from their hatchling group in addition to Brondal, an adult tundral, and Ravaonna, an adult Guardian.

They were standing in the Hewn City, at the first entrance they’d dug for their lair. The lair they’d all helped to build together. The start of their lives as a clan was about to begin, and the adults had just appointed Aelwen as the one in charge when they were away hunting and forging.

“I’m the one who’s always been in charge!” Ilyana went on, “I’ve been the leader for years! I’m the strongest one and everyone knows that!”

“Maybe so, but we never liked you as the leader,” Nuul, a blue spiral spoke up, “You’re always mean and push everyone else around.”

“I make sure you do what you’re supposed to to survive!” she shot back at him, and he zipped back behind one of the other kids in fear.

“Now, Ily,” Brondal said in his teacher tone, “I’m sure that you’ve been doing your best to help your friends while you were in the wilds. But you have a home now, and Ravaonna and I will help take care of you. You won’t have to struggle to survive anymore. And since that is now the case, we’ll be in charge, and when we’re not around, Aelwen will be.”

The other hatchlings all nodded in agreement and smiled at her, and Aelwen fidgeted with a bashful smile. She wasn’t sure if she could handle such a position, but if everyone else thought she could then that gave her enough confidence to try her best.

Ilyana, however, snorted in distaste. “She can’t protect us if you’re not around. She’s too weak and small!”

“There’s more to being in charge of others than brute force, Ilyana.” Ravaonna said sternly, “You would do well to consider that before making a scene of yourself.” The guardian was large and strong, and she had an air of regality to her. Some of the hatchlings wondered if she had come from a large clan in the Labyrinth with lots of high class dragons.

“But I’m still right!” Ilyana protested. “Look, I’ll show you!”

She immediately lunged for Aelwen, but the skydancer quickly darted out of her way. The ridgeback growled and whipped around, lashing out again. Aelwen squeaked and ducked, avoiding her offensive attacks with surprising agility and speed.

“ARGH! HOLD STILL SO I CAN GET YOU!” Ilyana roared. The other hatchlings whispered among themselves as they watched with wide eyes. Ilyana had never attacked Aelwen before, so this was the first time they’d seen the two go head to head. Ilyana always beat up on the others, so to see Aelwen actually winning against the ridgeback only made them like her more. Especially since she was only moving to avoid her blows, and not actually hitting her back.

“Oh dear,” Brondal muttered, not quite sure what would be the best course of action; let them fight it out or try to stop them. He wasn’t very good at being a parent, since he’d never been one before.

Ravaonna, however, watched down her nose at the two for a minute before standing up, and grabbing Ilyana by her arm. The ridgeback flapped her wings wildly and hissed at her, but as soon as she met the guardian’s eye, she shrank back down.

“The point has been made.” the large dragon said with ice in her tone. She let go and then turned to the other, much more calm and relaxed. “Now, all of you inside. Brondal and I will go and gather food for dinner.”

The hatchlings gleefully made their way into the cave, chatting about what just happened. Ilyana could see and hear them whispering about her as they passed, and her heart filled with rage and shame. Aelwen could see how upset she was, and went over to try and say something to her.

“Ily, I...I’m sorry, I didn’t ask them to-”

“Get away from me!” Ilyana snapped. “You traitor!”

Aelwen gave a hurtful expression and stepped back, wings drooped. Her heart felt like a heavy anchor sinking deep into the Sea of a Thousand Currents. She’d never wanted or asked for this. When she met Ilyana in the barren tundra of the Icefields, she had been so alone and sad and afraid. Ilyana had found her and promised to protect her, and that they would find a new home together. They had both been abandoned and unwanted, but they had been together. They had been friends. She didn’t want to make her friend so upset.

“Please don’t be mad,” Aelwen said shakily, “We have a home now. We have a family, we’re safe. Isn’t that enough?”

Ilyana’s tail suddenly came and whipped Aelwen so hard that she fell to the side. Her arm and neck stung when she had been hit, and the ridgeback’s shadow fell over her as she looked up. Aelwen’s big pale blue eyes were glistening with tears.

“You just don’t get it! And you never will!” Ilyana shouted.

And she ran and disappeared into the darkness of their lair without another word, leaving the skydancer out on the ground, hurt and crying. She didn’t understand.

_It shouldn’t have been me. It shouldn’t have been me. Why was I picked? Why did this happen? Why is she so mad? I didn’t want this. This is all my fault. This is all my fault…_

___________

_...This is all my fault. _

In the present, Aelwen was sick with grief and nerves as she sat outside the infirmary, waiting for the news. Her wife, Nylah, and their adopted children, Masai and Pryxis, were with her. Nylah had her wings spread over the skydancer’s back and was gently holding her claw. Pryxis, still fairly young, was curled in her arms, snuggled close to her. Masai was curled up at her other side, poking at the dirt and glancing up at her mother with sorrowful brown eyes.

After what seemed like hours, the curtain to the infirmary was finally pulled aside. Aelwen practically jumped up as Ezekial stepped out. Now the head doctor for the clan, the skywing was clothed in healers robes and wore spectacles. His red eyes met with hers and they shared a silent moment of mutual grief. He had never really forgiven Ilyana for her behavior when they were children, but it was still very much a personal situation for him.

“Is she…?” The lump in Aelwen’s throat blocked the words.

“Alive, yes.” Ezekial said quietly. For a moment, the clan leader felt like she was going to pass out. The only thing that kept her stable was the feeling of Pryxis squirming around in her arms.

“But the damage done is done. And her road to recovery will be long and difficult.” he added.

“She’s stubborn enough, she’ll make it through.” Nylah half joked.

“May I see her? Alone?” Aelwen asked.

Ezekial gave her a pitiful side glance before sighing. “I don’t know that she’d in the mood to talk, but you can go ahead and see her at least.”

She passed Pryxis off to Nylah, and before anyone could say anything else, she disappeared behind the curtain to Ilyana’s room.

It was one of the larger rooms in the infirmary, since she was a large dragon. Fierce and powerful, the ridgeback appeared to be terribly weak and pale as she laid in her nest. She was heavily bandaged and her head rested on a pillow made of feathers sewn into a soft fur pelt. Aelwen wanted to look away, knowing that Ilyana would not want anyone to see her like this.

She thought the dragon had been sleeping until she heard a familiar hissing sound.

“Why are you here?” Ily’s voice was hoarse and weak. Her plague skin and birdskull attire had been removed for the operation, so she was in her natural colors. It was the first time since they’d built Relicta that Aelwen had seen her face.

“I came to thank you,” Aelwen said as best she could without her voice cracking. She felt ready to cry again.

The ridgeback snorted, and she could have sworn a smile had peeked out of her face. “For what?”

“For what?” Aelwen said, finally looking her in the eye, “You saved my life! Those harpies could have killed me, and you knew that. And yet, for as much as you hate me and try to kill me yourself, you jumped to protect me! I...I don’t understand…”

She sat down next to the nest and sighed. Ilyana was quiet as she stared at the skydancer with an unreadable expression. Then, she turned to look up at the corner of the ceiling and said in the softest voice she’s ever spoke, “I don’t hate you.”

Silence.

Aelwen slowly lifted her head, not believing that she’d heard what she did. Her heart pounded in her chest and her wings twitched. Now Ilyana was the one avoiding her eye. The skydancer actually started laughing. Loud and from her gut.

“You’re laughing?!?” Ilyana cried, then winced from moving her head too quickly and disrupting her position on the nest.

“Forgive me, but I cannot believe that. Not for a moment!” the darker dragon said, finally settling back down. “You’ve always been a bad liar. I know you’ve hated me since the day we founded Relicta. Why else would you come barging in everyday challenging me for the role of clan leader? For all the horrible things you’ve said to me over the years about how I’m the worst leader ever and how you would be so much better? What about all that?”

“I’m jealous of you, you egghead!” Ilyana snapped, “But that doesn’t mean I hate you. You stupid worm, you can’t even tell the difference.”

Aelwen’s smile dissolved. She was quiet as Ilyana went on talking to the wall beside her, “I wanted to be a clan leader since I first hatched. It was my big dream to have a clan and a family and be happy and have it all. I wanted to be loved, but no one ever loved me. No one even liked me. You were the only one who mildly tolerated me, and when you became the leader, I got mad, yeah. But after a while I started to see why. Ravaonna and Brondel saw how well you treated everyone, how thoughtful and kind you acted. That’s why they chose you. And I became jealous and envious of how everyone loved you and not me. How you got everything I ever wanted, and how I would never be like you. How you deserved the happiness that I would never know because of who I am.

“I never hated you, Aelwen,” She paused for a moment, tensing up, “I hated myself. And I took it out on you.”

Aelwen was blindsided by this. All of these years, she had been carrying around the guilt and pain, suffering in silence, feeling like she’d lost her friend for something she wasn’t even responsible for. And instead, it was all just...Ilyana taking out her own anger at herself on her? Lashing out at her for what? Being happy? For helping build the clan they called their home? She clenched her talons together, filling up with new anger and frustration.

“Why did you never tell me this?” she asked hotly. “Why didn’t you just...come talk to me about it? Or Ephela? Or anyone?! Why did you just let yourself be a miserable lump and terrorize the clan and me for all these years!”

The familiar look of anger crossed the ridgeback’s face, but she remained quiet and did not look at Aelwen. She did not have an answer for her.

“Did you think saving my life would make up for all of it? Is that why you did it?” she spat, flaring her wings up.

“What? No!” Ilyana finally spoke up, now angry too, though Aelwen was more headed towards fury. “I saved your life because I care about you, actually. And I told you I’d always be there to protect you.”

“Don’t try to turn around and throw that in my face!” Aelwen shouted, “You don’t have the right to hold that against me, that’s for me to hold against you! You promised me and said we were friends! That we’d build our own home together! We’d find our place in the world together! But you just acted selfish and turned your back to me and treated me like dirt the moment you didn’t get your way. So forgive me if I don’t feel very sorry for you about hating yourself, but you really have been and awful, awful person to me!”

Ice magic was starting to glitter and crackle around her talons from her emotions. She felt ready to blast the ridgeback with a giant block of ice when she felt someone touch her shoulder. She whipped around to see Ezekial standing behind her with concern.

He didn’t have to say anything. She started to calm herself just by looking at him. She evened out her breathing and turned to see that Ilyana had completely turned her head away from her. She couldn’t tell if she was mad or upset or sad or whatever. It didn’t matter, because she couldn’t care anymore. Without another word, Aelwen turned and stormed out of the infirmary.

Ezekial watched her go, and once she was gone he turned to Ilyana. “Excellent apology. Although I don’t think I actually heard you say sorry at any point.” he said in a teasing tone.

“Shut up.” Ilyana huffed. The skydancer sat himself next to her bed and waited a moment before speaking again.

“In all seriousness, though, she does have a point. You really should have just talked to her about it.” he said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his robes.

“Why do you care? I thought you didn’t like me either. Do you want an apology, too?” the ridgeback snapped back, though with less harshness than usual.

“Whether you like it or not, Ily, you’re still family. And if any of the time we spent together as hatchlings meant anything to you, then a genuine apology and an effort to better yourself is all it would take. It's all we’ve ever wanted from you.” he retorted. He paused before adding, “Maybe now that you have some time to really think about it, you’ll realize that we don’t hate you either.”

Ilyana was still facing the wall, and he could not see her face, nor did she give any other indication that she heard him or cared. But he had a good guess that she did, so he got up and left her to mull over it while she rested.

When she was sure he was gone, and sure that no one else was near enough to hear, she finally allowed herself to shed the tears she’d been fighting back.


	3. A Fork in the Road of Recovery

The harpies that had come were persistent. In all their years in the Sunbeam Ruins, Aelwen and her family had never seen so many of them come out and attack so aggressively over and over. Relicta was a medium sized clan, with barely seventy dragons. A good chunk of that number were not permanent members, either, and many chose to flee the onslaught instead of standing with the clan to fight. 

Every eligible dragon was called to take shifts and defend their lair and hatchlings. Ilyana soon became crammed in the infirmary with several other dragons injured in the crossfire. There were only two doctors and a few nurses to tend to everyone, so she started to gain a lot more time for herself while Ezekial was so busy. 

Aelwen, on the other hand, was constantly surrounded by her counsel and other dragons. As the leader, she was responsible for everyone in Relicta, and she had to organize strategies and attack, defense and offensive maneuvers, and assign jobs to everyone on deck. She worked Tozai’s wings to the bone sending out messages to their neighboring clans whom they held alliances with, and supplies and warriors came post haste in response. 

While she was stressed out about these harpy attacks and protecting her clan, the deeper pain and stress of Ilyana’s words hung over her head like a thunderstorm on the horizon. And the only one who seemed to really notice was Nylah. 

Two months went by in the blink of an eye. It was now past midnight, and Aelwen had finally dismissed the counsel to rest for the night. She watched them pack up to leave, but stayed in the center of the chamber, focused on the scrolls full of notes she’d taken. She jumped when a gentle claw laid on her shoulder. 

“It’s time for sleep, dear.” Nylah encouraged. The skydancer sighed and hung her head. 

“I can’t sleep now. I’m wide awake and there are things to do.” she said, rubbing her temples. 

The wildclaw stared sadly down at her beloved mate. She could see the dark circles under her eyes, and how exhausted she was. And yet she continued to push herself to her limits like this. 

“You’re overthinking it, love. You’ve done everything that you could. You need to give yourself a break.” she encouraged her. Aelwen lowered her notes and rubbed the sore spot on the bridge of her nose. She really was terribly tense. 

“Our clan is meant to be a sanctuary, not an army. Even with Llvai’s best efforts and all the counsel’s cooperation, we’ve nearly lost four dragons, including a hatchling’s.” she confessed. 

Nylah shook her head. “I’m not talking about the harpy attack. We’ve done enough of that for today. I’m talking about Ilyana.” 

Aelwen straightened and snapped her gaze to her wife. She only gave her a single you-know-what-I-mean expression and the skydancer slumped to the floor. 

“Nylah, I can’t...I can’t think about that right now.” 

“But you have been,” she pointed out, seating herself next to the smaller dragon. She draped her brown eye spot patterned wing over her spouse and provided a gentle nuzzle of comfort. “You may be able to fool everyone else, even yourself, but you can’t fool me. It’s been bothering you since the day it happened.” 

Glittering, icy tears welled up in Aelwen’s eyes. She was right. It had been nagging her in the back of her mind, and was slowly inching its way deep into her heart. All those years she’d truly believed she’d destroyed the friendship between the two of them, only to find out that Ilyana was just being mean out of her own jealousy and self-hatred. Taking out her misery on Aelwen like some kind of emotional punching bag. It just wasn’t fair. It hurt so much more than she would ever admit aloud. 

“What am I to do then?” she asked, restraining her tears as best she could. “I’m not ready to confront her again.” 

“Then don’t.” Nylah pulled her in close, tucking Aelwen’s head under her chin. Her mate was a strong, proud woman, and she just wanted to be here for her in a moment of weakness. She wanted to let her know that it was okay. What she was feeling was okay to express in her presence. 

The two of them remained in the chamber for a long time, holding onto one another tightly. Nylah hated that Ilyana had made her beloved feel this way, and to be honest she would love nothing more than to beat the hell out of the ridgeback all on her own. But that wouldn’t solve anything. This was an issue that the two of them had to sort out on their own. 

Still, she was on Aelwen’s side of this. Even if they had grown up together and were close, Ilyana had no right to act the way she did towards the skydancer. The wildclaw wished there was more she could do, but it seemed that this simple act was enough. 

\----

Many, many years ago, there was a small clan that lived on the Southern Icefield’s Frigid Floes by the name of Greybow. The Greybow clan was quite poor and had little room on their floating iceberg. Less than 30 dragons called it home at the time, and Aelwen’s parents were two of them. 

Aelwen remembered very little about Greybow. This was mainly because there was little to remember about it to begin with. Dragons of very average and basic colors, most with no patterning at all, huddled together in tiny, cold caves dug into an iceberg. She had two siblings who vanished within a few months, names long forgotten. She didn’t even remember her father. Only her mother, Gimel, seemed to care about her. 

And even then, it was not enough. Because the clan was so poor, they soon couldn’t afford to feed the hatchlings. Thus, Aelwen was ripped from her mother and tossed into the wilds to fend for herself. Force to search for a new place to call home. 

The skydancer was tiny, meek, and worse of all, had bland colors and no unique markings. Many of the clans she encountered took one look at her and turned her away, simply because she didn’t look good enough to warrant a spot in their clan. 

She never forgot that. Not in all her long life did Aelwen ever forget the shame and disgrace she felt about her appearance as a hatchling. Not even now, as the leader of a successful clan of her own, surrounded by love and acceptance. 

And she never forgot that fateful day when Ilyana while wandering the Fortress of Ends. Aelwen had become lost in the maze of spires that jutted up from the fortress. Helpless and hungry, Ilyana found her and offered her some of the food she had been saving, guiding her back to a makeshift, hatchling-sized cave. There over the next few weeks, they became best friends, and made their vow to search for a better life together. 

What Aelwen did not know, then or now, was that Ilyana had not, in fact, been abandoned like she had. The ridgeback had actually run away from a high ranking, prestigious clan called Draconirose, that had over one hundred members. She had left because it was too overcrowded, and she felt lost among the sea of clan members. Even her own parents didn’t have time for her, and everyone was so busy with their duties and chores. 

So when her and Aelwen started accumulating a following, Ilyana enjoyed the attention that came with being the leader. She craved feeling important and empowered. And that was her one major flaw...

Back in the present, things were looking up. By the time Ilyana had healed enough to go back to her own den chamber for the rest of her recovery, the threat of the harpies was coming to its end. As much as she hated the idea that she missed all the important fighting that went on, the time in bed had given her the opportunity to think more about her life and her choices and where she wanted to go from there. 

The earliest signs of spring were showing in the ruins as Ilyana emerged from the lair. Fresh, new grass beneath her claws, the scent of flowers starting to bloom, the change in the breeze from chilly to warm. Hatchlings were down playing on the beach under adult light supervision, socializing dragons were out lounging about on crumbling structures. 

Ilyana hobbled to a shaded spot in the valley, happy to get some fresh air after being cooped up all winter in the ward. Signs of the battles were here and there, but since they lived in the Sunbeam Ruins, which were already ruined, it wasn’t as noticable. 

This was also the first time she had ever been out in public without her plague skin on, sporting her natural patterning. Her birdskull jewelry was on, though. 

Everything was so calm and serene that she thought maybe she had died last night and wasn’t really there. The sun was warm, the fresh smell of grass and newly blooming flowers wafted in the air. The crashing of the waves on the nearby shore, and the laughter and chattering of clan members surrounding the area. 

She sighed and took it all in. This wasn’t what she had envisioned when she thought of her future clan. It was much, much better than anything she could’ve dreamed up, and it was all because of Aelwen. 

Her heart tightened at the thought of the skydancer. The memories of their childhood, and the memories of their last conversation together, all struck her with a pain much worse than the wound inflicted by the harpies. She lowered her head to rest on the ground and let the guilt soak in.

A familiar scent carried on the wind, and Ilyana turned to her left. Approaching from the garden area was a regal looking guardian, with shimmering fire orange skin, a cranberry red overcoat, and golden bracelets. She was the closest thing to a mother the ridgeback had. Ravaonna. 

“Glad to see you out and about again.” the old guardian said, looking down her spectacles at her. 

“Pssh. No little harpy was going to keep me bedridden for another two months.” She scoffed, averting her gaze. 

“Of course.” 

Ravaonna had that ‘I’m better than you’ type of vibe at all times, even when she was trying to be polite and sincere. Ilyana knew better by now and took her comments with a grain of salt. She did not, however, expect the dragon to come and seat herself under the tree next to her. 

“You know I think of you children as my own, don’t you?” Ravaonna spoke to the breeze. The ridgeback curled her claws in the grass. 

“Sure.” Was all she replied. It was enough. 

“And as my children, I do feel a certain responsibility when you two don’t get along.” 

Ilyana flicked her tail in annoyance. “What’s going on between us is none of your business.” She was too guilt-filled to harshen her tone. It came out sounding weak and defeated instead, which she hated. 

“I think you two have been going through this long enough, Ilyana.” Her mother said matter-of-factly, “None of us may be related by bloodline, but she is still your sister, and you are hers. And family is worth fighting for, not fighting with.” 

She wanted to argue and get mad and lash out and storm off because of how badly that statement hurt. However, she only had enough energy to close her eyes and heave a sigh. Ravaonna was right. But how was she - 

“Get up.” 

She opened her eyes to see her mother standing and staring down at her. Her green, Natureborn eyes pierced through her thick skin and forced her to move her body and stand as well. Reluctantly, she followed behind as she was lead back over the hill and towards the ruins where the heart of their lair was. 

In a small clearing that once was a town square for ages passed, Ravaonna and Ilyana turned the corner to see Brondal, the tundra, sitting and chatting with Aelwen. 

As soon as they saw each other, they stopped and tensed. For a moment they were frozen, unsure what to do or say. This was the first they’d seen each other face to face since their big argument. It was terribly awkward. 

“Ah, Ily,” Brondal said slowly as he turned to see her. The tundra had already been middle aged when he and Ravaonna first found the orphans, so he was an old man by now, and was rather sluggish in his speech and movement. He adjusted his glasses and turned to face her with the kindhearted smile of a loving grandfather. 

“Look at you, walking around now. You look well, dear.” he said, moseying over to give her a hug, though she was over twice as big as he was. She absentmindedly wrapped a wing around him in return. 

Aelwen looked to Ravaonna with slight annoyance. Clearly they had meant to bring the two together for some kind of closure. 

“Come, dear,” the guardian gently called. The only time she ever spoke so softly was to him. “Let us give the girls some time to sort things out.” 

“Oh, yes! Of course, of course,” he replied, as if he’d forgotten. She patted Ilyana’s claw and gave one last smile before following after his spouse. 

Now alone in the middle of a large clearing in the ruins, neither of them were quite sure how to proceed. They just stood awkwardly and uncomfortable. Because of her injury, Ilyana soon sat down on the stone floor, her body not as strong as it was a few short months ago. Not to mention her nerves were shot from the stress. 

Finally, Aelwen went to open her mouth and speak, but Ilyana blurted out at the same time and they caught themselves. Another moment of silence. 

“I’m sorry,” Ilyana croaked, finally. The air was still. 

When Aelwen didn’t respond right away, she went on, “I’ve been terrible to you, and I’m sorry. I truly, really am. You don’t have to forgive me for any of it, okay? I don’t want you to, because I think that would just make it worse. But…” 

She hung her head, the beads on her mask jingling. Aelwen waited patiently as her sister found the courage to speak her feelings for the first time. 

“But I don’t want to continue on and just ignore each other forever. I don’t want this horrible thing I built between us to stay standing.” 

The echo of children’s laughter in the valley bounced off the ruins around them as they were quiet. 

“It won’t ever be like it was before.” Aelwen spoke, “Before we became a clan. When we were children.” 

“I didn’t say I wanted it to be,” Ilyana retorted. “But I don’t want it to go back to what it was before this harpy thing, either.” 

The skydancer shuffled on the cobblestone and averted her eyes. It was another long moment before she spoke again. 

“I can’t say I forgive you for all of it.” she spoke honestly. Ilyana felt her heart drop. Even though she’d expect it, it still hurt to hear it out loud, and for it to be a reality. 

“However,” she added, “I don’t feel like I hate you anymore. It’s more like...pity, I suppose.” 

They looked at each other directly now. The whole world felt like it was holding its breath, everything tilts off slightly. 

“I want you to stay in Relicta, and regain your strength, and be a part of our clan defenses.” Aelwen went on, “I want you to reach out and make friends here and be happy. But I don’t think I’m ready to get close again. I don’t know if I ever will be. Can you accept that?” 

Ilyana nodded solemnly. It was fair. She had destroyed their relationship and had been rubbing salt in the wound for years. If she didn’t want her back then it made sense. She wouldn’t want someone like herself to come back either. 

“Well then, I...I thank you, for the apology.” Aelwen added. 

Ilyana forced a half smile. “Thanks for not kicking me out. But if I’m honest...I think it might be better if I leave for a while anyway.” 

The skydancer tilted her head. “Now? But you’re still healing.” 

Ilyana laughed a little. She didn’t forgive her, but she still cared for her well being. She would never be as good of a person as Aelwen was. 

“I’ll be fine. It’s a personal thing, you know? Besides, its been a long time since I’ve been able to spread my wings.” The ridgeback stretched her massive, freckled ivory wings out, shaking them a bit to get the blood flowing. 

“Where will you go?” Aelwen asked curiously. 

“Wherever there’s food and shelter for a dragon like me.” She smiled, a bit more sincerely now. 

There was a small half second where it seemed like Aelwen was going to protest her leaving, but it disappeared instantly. Both of them knew it was for the best. Perhaps Ilyana would find a place to channel a more peaceful attitude, and maybe Aelwen would finally get some good rest at night and be able to focus on her work properly. 

“I’ll write to Brondal. I’m sure Tozai will find me wherever I land.” Ilyana shrugged. The skydancer nodded. 

“I wish you the best of luck out there.” 

“You take good care of your clan.” 

And for a moment, just a small, tiny moment, there was a sense of peace between them. For the blink of an eye, they were the same children who bonded in the mountains, and depended on each other and were happy in each others company. But those days were long gone, and the brief ghost of nostalgia faded away. 

Aelwen watched as Ilyana climbed atop a crumbling pillar, the wrap around her middle clearly visible as she leapt into the wind and was carried off into the bright shining sky. The leader of the Relicta clan watched her go until she wasn’t even a speck on the horizon anymore, and sat down to soak it all in. The pain still wasn’t gone, but it wasn’t as sharp as before. More like a dull ache, barely noticeable unless she really took the time to pay attention to it. 

An old wound, finally beginning to heal.


End file.
